In May 2012, the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), a 9,000-member professional organization that seeks to develop leadership and excellence in local government managers, asked the City of San Antonio to participate in an ICMA-sponsored initiative to raise awareness and provide information on the role of professional management of local government.

The ICMA pilot program, entitled Life, Well Run, strives to enhance the connection among local government services and residents and the role professional managers serve in the delivery of city services. San Antonio and Seguin are the only Texas cities participating in the pilot program along with Lake County, Illinois and the cities of Glenview and Woodridge in Illinois.

In 2012, ICMA, in coordination with the City, invited elected officials, civic and business leaders, residents and other community stakeholders to participate in interviews as a component of the educational materials. Several current and former elected officials participated and are featured in the videos produced by ICMA. These educational materials will be made available by ICMA via the Internet, professional development conferences, and social media outreach. The educational videos will also be made available to the City for use on our government access channel (TVSA21) and the City website. ICMA is in the process of expanding the program on a national level in collaboration with other municipalities across the US.

This ICMA initiative is another opportunity for our City of San Antonio organization to showcase our professionalism and strong working relationship with elected officials and the San Antonio community.

For more information regarding the ICMA Life, Well Run initiative, please visit www.LifeWellRun.org.